In appeasing Trump, the NFL created an entirely new set of problems with its national-anthem policy

The NFL approved a new policy that requires players to stand during the national anthem.

Some in the league admitted that the wrath of President Donald Trump was a factor.

The White House is already taking a victory lap, but there is little reason to think Trump won’t continue his attacks on the league and the players.

The league also must now deal with other problems created by the new policy, including players and fans who are upset the league caved to the president, a fractured ownership group, and an even uglier scene during national anthems.

Under the new policy, teams would be fined if players don’t show “appropriate respect for the flag and anthem.”

This was a clear victory for President Donald Trump. Just ask him, and Vice President Mike Pence, who tweeted “#Winning” after the NFL announced the policy, a tweet that was quickly shared by the @POTUS account.

If anything, the optics would be worse next season if one team is on the field for the anthem and the other is in the locker room – or if half the players from both sides are on the sidelines and the absence of others is obvious. This would be even worse if some of the players decide to continue kneeling.

If kneeling quietly was considered disrespectful, it is safe to assume that ignoring the anthem altogether is going to be viewed as a far greater insult.

“I don’t think people should be staying in locker rooms,”Trump told “Fox and Friends” on Thursday. “You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. You shouldn’t be playing. You shouldn’t be there. Maybe they shouldn’t be in the country.”

Not only did the NFL likely unsuccessfully avoid the wrath of Trump’s Twitter. The NFL now has also added more problems than they had before.

The NFL has angered its most important partners – the players

The NFL has the right to force players to stand – the NBA has been doing it for years without issue. But what is most curious about the move is that by the end of the 2017 season, the number of players kneeling during the anthem had already been reduced to a handful, as the league and players had started working together on how to address the issues behind the protests.

Now the NFL has gone behind the backs of the players and implemented a new rule designed to shame them into standing during the anthem. The league is essentially saying, “If you kneel we are not punishing you. We’re taking money out of somebody else’s pockets. And, oh by the way, you might still get punished by your team anyway.”

“This is fear of a diminished bottom line,” Long tweeted. “It’s also fear of a president turning his base against a corporation. This is not patriotism. Don’t get it confused. These owners don’t love America more than the players demonstrating and taking real action to improve it. It also lets you, the fan, know where our league stands. I will continue to be committed to affecting change with my platform. I’m someone who’s always looked at the anthem as a declaration of ideals, including the right to peaceful protest. Our league continues to fall short on this issue.”

The NFL couldn’t fine players directly – that would have to be collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association. But nothing is stopping individual teams from punishing players when fined for their actions. This is clearly a concern of the players.

“We were not consulted ahead of this meeting on any potential changes to the anthem policy,” NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah told ESPN. “If there are changes to the policy that put players in a position where they could be disciplined or fined, we are going to do what we always do – fight anything that encroaches on players’ rights to the end.”

Buda Mendes/Getty ImagesNew England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell may have to deal with even angrier players and a fractured group of owners.

Another problem for the NFL: Cracks in its ranks

Despite announcing the vote as “unanimous” among the owners, there was clearly disagreement.

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York told reporters that he did not support the policy and abstained from the vote. New York Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said Jets players are free to kneel and vowed his team would not fine players if the team is penalised.

“I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,” Johnson told Bob Glauber of Newsday. “If somebody takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organisation, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players. Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest.”

And none of these problems include the possibility of angering a fan base that leans more Democratic and fans who don’t like the idea of caving to Trump even if they may have been mostly apathetic about the protests before.

In other words, the NFL didn’t solve its Trump problem, but instead angered its players, its fans, and are quarreling among themselves.